Six months of TV Movies!
Halfway there
Yet another month of crazy-busy-ness with not much else to add. I’ve been keeping my head down and plugging away, and it’s been a nice distraction from what is turning out to be a strange 2025.
One of this year’s saving graces is the return of the soap. You may or may not have heard that CBS premiered a new daytime serial in February called Beyond the Gates. It’s a show about the Dupree family. They are rich and powerful and each and every one of them has a ton of baggage! It’s straight up soap in so many ways and it’s also got a kind of energy I haven’t seen on daytime for a while. Not to dismiss any of the other shows, they’re great and they’re needed. But, Beyond the Gates has captivated me, and I’m in love with everyone and everything.
This attention to soaps is not just happening on our TV screens, these awesome melodramas are coming back in a big way in academia as well. There are two conferences (that I know of) happening in different parts of the world. The first one is set for June 21 at Falmouth University. It’s a one day conference (UK), and it seeks to underline how melodrama is used to comment on the times we are living in. More details here.
Then, in October, Bowling Green State University is hosting a conference that looks at soap operas and their relationship to popular culture. This one should be really fun, and is open to both academics and fans! They have a website and have listed their call for papers!
For years I’ve been championing daytime serials, and I am very pleased to see that others are as well. Melodrama is such an important element to not just soaps, but to genre films, and obviously, it’s a huge part of what makes made for TV movies so good. Melodrama is so often dismissed and critically maligned, and it is absolutely wonderful to see it getting a little respect... finally.
Soaps matter.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to host a BlueSky watchalong TV movie party in June. I’ll be taking a little break from everything the last week of the month, and while part of my absence is work-related, I have penciled in big plans to decompress… and hopefully I will have some TV movie stuff to share in July!
Announcements
I don’t think I’m on any releases coming out in the month of June. I’m trying to keep better track of my freelance work, and I know there’s things coming, but waiting for those announcements… it’s hard! I’m so excited about all the work I’ve been doing lately! So, hopefully, something fun will pop up for next month!
Small Screen Musings: Lost Histories
I’ve been contemplating the issues of what becomes lost when TV movies are improperly documented or preserved. Because so much is undocumented, it’s a lot to wrap my brain around. But, on many occasions, my mind wanders to one of my favorite filmmakers, John Newland.
Newland is an interesting character. He began his career in entertainment as an actor (working in comedy, mostly). This led him to Broadway, but he said in early interviews, he was too much of a “ham” to pursue acting more seriously.
Naturally, he turned to directing. He didn’t give up on acting completely, and was seen on TV from time to time, including the infamous adaptation of Frankenstein for the anthology series Tales of Tomorrow. It is most famous for Lon Chaney Jr.’s “soft rampage” towards the end of the movie (IYKYK). And, of course, he was the director and host of a great mid-century anthology series called One Step Beyond.
My interest in Newland arose from seeing him on that show, which was a favorite growing up. Later, I made the connection that he’s the same guy who directed the small screen cult classic Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973). He would end up making some of the best made for TV movies in the golden era of the 1970s, before retiring in 1983. Newland passed away in 2000.
I don’t want to just replay his biography and filmography here. For one, it’s too dense to just put into a couple of paragraphs. Second, the point I’m attempting to make is that Newland is integral to the history of the telefilm. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest journeymen of this era, directing and producing some truly remarkable small screen films. He was so much more than that too. While he might not have called himself a feminist, he could be very sensitive in his portrayal of women in his films, and that respect came out of working with powerful women on TV. He would say in interviews he learned so much working with Joan Crawford and Loretta Young. He also bravely approached subjects no one was really talking about at this time, including suicide and addiction.
Recently, I reached out to his family when I realized there was so little archival documentation of his work, not to mention most of his films aren’t on DVD (or even VHS). What I found out was that he didn’t really keep anything, therefore, there’s nothing to donate to an archive. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I kind of cursed Newland under my breath because it felt short-sighted. However, what Newland wanted to do with his work is his business, and in the end, I respect he did what he felt was right for himself at the time. (it also shows a total lack of ego, which makes me love him even more)
Yet, I’m still left to wonder, how can we make sure his legacy is remembered? To be fair, some of that work is being done. With Warner Archives release of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Severin’s gorgeous release of The Legend of Hillbilly John, we’re seeing how diverse and talented he really was. Personally, I was honored to be asked to do the commentaries for both films and trust me, there’s still so much more to discover.
That said, ultimately, I have to come to terms with the idea that some things are out of my control and are destined to be lost or left behind. That’s not to say that I (or you) can’t keep pushing for historical documentation or academic commentary. We should do this. However, I think Newland is a prime example of what we’re up against.
Newland’s story just underscores that what is missing in this frustratingly incomplete history of the made for TV movie is vast and even though the TV movie has a fairly finite history, it is also endless. So many films and their filmmakers deserve a proper legacy. Not sure I can do that with a monthly newsletter and a few commentaries, but I do hope this is just a first step towards our understanding of the small screen. Or, perhaps I should say we should be prepared to go One Step Beyond…
TV Movies that Need a DVD/Blu Ray Release: May’s Selections:
121: She Waits, 1972
122: Madame Sin, 1972 (OOP Shout Factory)
123: Relentless, 1977
124: Off the Minnesota Strip, 1980
125: Sanctuary of Fear, 1979
126: Without Consent, 1993
127: Dr. Cook’s Garden, 1971
128: Rockabye, 1986
129: Alibi, 1997
130: Death Squad, 1974
131: A Summer Without Boys, 1973
132: Memories of Murder, 1990
133: She Cried Murder, 1973
134: Out of the Darkness, 1985
135: Nowhere to Hide, 1994
136: She’s in the Army Now, 1981
137: A Circle of Children, 1977
138: The Movie Murderer, 1970
139: Secrets of a Mother and Daughter, 1983
140: Hostage for a Day, 1994
141: Disaster on the Coastliner, 1979
142: Night Visions, 1990
143: Trapped, 1973
144: Strike Force pilot, 1981
145: Playing with Fire, 1985
146: Smashup on Interstate 5, 1976
147: The Devil and Miss Sarah, 1974
148: The Great Ice Rip-Off, 1974
149: The Alpha Caper, 1973
150: Mirror, Mirror, 1979
151: Games Mother Never Taught You, 1982